{"product_id":"the-myth-of-the-strong-archie-brown-9780465027668","title":"The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in Modern Politics","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom one of the world's preeminent political historians, a magisterial study of political leadership around the world from the advent of parliamentary democracy to the age of Obama.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e All too frequently, leadership is reduced to a simple dichotomy: the strong versus the weak. Yet, there are myriad ways to exercise effective political leadership -- as well as different ways to fail. We blame our leaders for economic downfalls and praise them for vital social reforms, but rarely do we question what makes some leaders successful while others falter. In this magisterial and wide-ranging survey of political leadership over the past hundred years, renowned Oxford politics professor Archie Brown challenges the widespread belief that strong leaders -- meaning those who dominate their colleagues and the policy-making process -- are the most successful and admirable. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In reality, only a minority of political leaders will truly make a lasting difference. Though we tend to dismiss more collegial styles of leadership as weak, it is often the most cooperative leaders who have the greatest impact. Drawing on extensive research and decades of political analysis and experience, Brown illuminates the achievements, failures and foibles of a broad array of twentieth century politicians. Whether speaking of \u003ci\u003eredefining\u003c\/i\u003e leaders like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Margaret Thatcher, who expanded the limits of what was politically possible during their time in power, or the even rarer \u003ci\u003etransformational\u003c\/i\u003e leaders who played a decisive role in bringing about systemic change -- Charles de Gaulle, Mikhail Gorbachev and Nelson Mandela, among them -- Brown challenges our commonly held beliefs about political efficacy and strength. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Overturning many of our assumptions about the twentieth century's most important figures, Brown's conclusions are both original and enlightening. \u003ci\u003eThe Myth of the Strong Leader\u003c\/i\u003e compels us to reassess the leaders who have shaped our world - and to reconsider how we should choose and evaluate those who will lead us into the future.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Archie Brown\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0465027660\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780465027668\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Basic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/08\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 480\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.50w x 1.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/10\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/15\/2014 pg. 4\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/15\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2014 pg. 694","brand":"Archie Brown","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43987317883135,"sku":"9780465027668","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d468033c-754d-44a2-a3b8-8e3ddfb3457c.jpg?v=1683288267","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-myth-of-the-strong-archie-brown-9780465027668","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}